Chi Fu meets his end
by pistonsfan75
Summary: After the avalanche, what if Shang had turned his blade toward Chi Fu instead of Mulan when she was discovered? The Emperor's counsel pushes Mulan too far and pays the price when Shang intervenes. Rating it a T for violence and sexual subject matter. Trigger warning: attempted rape.
1. Chapter 1

"A woman!", Chi Fu exclaimed as he dragged an injured Mulan from the tent, yanked out her hair tie and threw her roughly to the ground. She was naked from the waist up after just having had her wound from Shan Yu stitched up. Luckily, the blanket was still over her and she pulled it over her chest, shoulders and back.

"High treason! Ultimate dishonor!"

"My name is Mulan. I did it to save my father. There was no other way. Please believe me."

Captain Li stood, unmoving, with his back to her. The rest of the soldiers in her regiment stood to the side shocked and silent, staring at her.

"Hmph...Captain?" Chi Fu stood by his side, looking at him expectantly.

When he didn't respond right away, the advisor reminded him of the penalty for a woman infiltrating the Chinese Army.

Slowly, Shang turned around and grabbed Mulan's sword from where it was sheathed on her horse, Khan.

Suddenly, Chi Fu grabbed her arm and threw her roughly at the feet of her fellow comrades and yanked away the blanket. "She's all yours, boys, take her!"

Now she really did lay half-naked on the snow in front of all these men. With a sob, she steeled herself for what was about to happen to her, and wished she was already dead.

To the eternal credit of the other soldiers, not a single one of them moved an inch toward her. They actually backed up and stared at the Emperor's advisor like he was crazy to suggest they would consider gang-raping Mulan.

Captain Shang turned to Chi Fu. "Are you crazy?" He stood a head taller than the weak, spineless bully and glared right into his eyes as he walked straight up to him and stopped an inch from his face.

"How dare you suggest my men would do this to her?"

"That's all a woman is good for. What are you all waiting for? I know none of you have been with a woman in months. Unless some of you already knew the little slut was a woman! Maybe I'll go first then." Chi Fu started towards her. She started to shake as he grabbed her hair and threw her onto her back.

"Like hell you will!" Shang roared as he charged Chi Fu, the sword still in his hand, and drove the blade into his heart.

Tossing the blade aside, he grabbed the blanket and covered her with it. He tried to help her to stand, but she gave a cry of pain because she had roughly landed directly on her wound not once but twice. Blood was spreading on the snow under her. He quickly scooped her into his arms and carried her to the medical tent.

After checking her wound, he saw how the rough treatment from the weakling had opened up the freshly applied stitches . He hollered out an order for Yao and Ling to get the doctor again. Seeing Mulan was shaking and crying from the ordeal, he knelt down by her.

"It's ok. You're safe now. None of my men are going to hurt you and neither will I. You're my bravest soldier and you're not going anywhere. I need you in my army." Then he stayed by her until the doctor entered the tent. After briefing the doctor on what happened, he left her in his capable hands.

He turned to face his men. "What happened today does not leave this company of soldiers. No one is to say a word to anyone about her being a woman or what really happened to Chi Fu. The Huns captured him when he ran away and hid as we exchanged fire with them. I already know none of you will touch her, so I don't need to tell anyone not to."

"Yes, sir." They all replied in unison.

"Prepare to make camp here for the night. She's in no shape to move right now. Ling and Chien Po, you're on first watch. Yao, you're with me on second watch." He pointed to two other men. "You two take care of his body. Make sure it's not gonna be found any time soon."

A fire was built and dumplings were heated over it. After eating, Shang brought some to Mulan, but she was sleeping. He sat next to her and watched her sleep for a moment. Dried tears were evident on her cheeks and she grimaced in her sleep.

Now that he knew she was a woman, he noticed how beautiful she was. But, he would not let his budding feelings towards her be known, especially not after what Chi Fu would have done to her had Shang not intervened. He had a feeling though, that one or more of his men would have killed him rather than allow the coward to rape their fellow soldier.

"It's ok, my love", he quietly whispered as he kissed her forehead and left the tent. If they both survived this war, then he would make his feelings known.


	2. Chapter 2

First thing in the morning, Shang checked on Mulan. She had some color in her cheeks, but the skin around the twice stitched-up wound appeared red and inflamed. The doctor applied a poultice to it and gave Mulan an order to stay on her mat and rest. He repeated this order to the captain, since he had a feeling she wouldn't comply. Shang would insist on it, he knew.

He was right on both accounts. Mulan wanted to be up and about, but Shang marched right into the medical tent and told her she wasn't going anywhere but back to sleep. "You won't be any help at all if you don't heal."

Mulan raised her head up.

"Shang, thank you. For what you did yesterday. I really think he would have done it right there if you hadn't intervened."

He sat down by her. "You're welcome. You should know that several of the men have told me that if I hadn't stepped in, that they would have. They all respect you and still consider you the bravest one of all."

Mulan laid her head back down with a smile on her face and went back to sleep.

Later that day, after clearing it with the captain, Yao, Ling and Chien Po visited her. The four of them had been best buddies in training camp, after all.

Mulan smiled when they walked in, but hoped they wouldn't make her laugh too hard.

"Thank you guys, for what you *didn't* do yesterday. I guess I should have known you wouldn't, but at the time I wasn't sure who to trust."

Chien Po, always the gentle giant, was the first to reply. "Mulan, you're one of us. We wouldn't dream of hurting you or any other woman, for that matter."

Yao and Ling immediately agreed. "The only one who would have done that is no longer a problem."

"So where did they hide the body?"

"They dragged it over to where a whole bunch of the Huns had gotten buried by the avalanche, and dug a deep hole and threw him in it. Then they brought back a bunch of their weapons."

It was the next day, now. Mulan was allowed to be up and around a little, but not allowed to do anything other than walk. No lifting, no running, and certainly no sparring. And Shang seemed to have put other soldiers on "Mulan duty" to make sure she followed Dr's orders.

After eating breakfast, she looked around at the snowy mess that had been the Hun army. Weapons were poking up out of the snow. A frozen arm and some dark hair could be seen above the drifts. Thousands of men, frozen to death. She felt a hollow ache in the pit of her stomach. Even though they were the enemy, she still recognized they were human beings.

A falcon's screech interrupted her thoughts. Shan Yu's falcon. Of course, it survived. It was able to fly above the avalanche.

Suddenly, Mulan heard that sound that, once heard, is never forgotten. She had heard it just after she fired the cannon and triggered the avalanche. Shan Yu's battle cry. Aaaaaaaaah-aaaaaaaah...

She glanced over the ridge and saw the Hun leader climbing out of the snow. Then another Hun soldier and then another. In total, 6 of them were standing above the snow looking at the Imperial City. Then they started walking that direction.

In that instant, she didn't care about Dr's orders. She ran straight to Shang's tent and burst in. He had been looking at a map. Before he could scold her for running, she told him what she saw.

"Move out. The Huns are alive and headed to the palace."

One of their daily drills had been to put up and take down their tent and pack up and unpack, as quickly as possible. Once, they had spent an entire day on it. The soldiers quickly took down the site. Everyone got their own, then helped Mulan with hers. Within mere minutes, they were all standing at attention. Having learned this from his father, Shang had stressed how vital it was that this be done quickly when necessary. Now, it was necessary. The training paid off.

"Mulan, you're on Kahn. No buts!" Shang helped her climb up.

"We need to get into the palace before they do and find the emperor. Half of you will get him to safety, half will be with me to find the Huns and eliminate them. Now."

Suddenly, Mulan had an idea. "We can all dress as concubines. Then it won't be immediately obvious who we are and we can move about the city and the palace undetected."

Soon after entering the city, they passed a dress shop. Mulan went in to explain their plan, and soon appeared in the doorway with a nod. The shop owner ran across the road to get more help and get make-up for the soldiers while they changed.

Three women accompanied her back, and they went to work on the soldiers to change them from men to concubines. If the situation hadn't been so dire, it would have been hilarious. Mulan breathed a silent prayer that they would all live to laugh about this some day.


	3. Chapter 3

There was a shouting match going on in the dress shop. Shang and Mulan.

"I'm going, too."

"No, stay here."

"I'm fine."

"You're wounded."

"You need every soldier you can get, to help pull this off."

"You know the doctor's orders. No lifting, no running, and no sparring or fighting with Hun soldiers."

"I'll be fine."

"No!"

"But, Shang..."

"No, Fa Mulan, that sword tore through muscle layers, anything strenuous will damage them more. You are staying here by order of your commanding officer."

The other soldiers looked at each other and at the two arguing, unsure what to do. Yao finally interrupted. "So are we gonna do this or did you just wanna wait for the next Hun invasion?"

"Move out. For the last time, Soldier Fa, you're staying here. Let's go!"

Mulan's eyes burned a hole in Shang's back as he walked away. But, he had called her "Soldier Fa". She still had a place in the army. He had told her himself she was his bravest soldier.

Walking through the Imperial City dressed as women, the Chinese army had sharp eyes pealed. Everything and everybody around them was rapidly scrutinized. The 6 Huns had to be here somewhere. They probably had about an hour on them. That's how rapidly the army had taken down camp, arrived in the city and put on disguises.

"They probably will head to the palace first, so they can get in undetected. To attack anywhere else would mean drawing attention to themselves and who they are."

At the palace gate, they paused. "So, what's the plan, captain?"

"Stick together until we find the emperor. Hopefully we get to him before they do."

The huge doors of the palace were closed, but they found a side door used by servants and crept in. After silently walking down a couple of corridors, they spotted two Hun soldiers. After a few silent gestures between them, Ling and Chien Po approached them, giggling.

"Ooh, they're so handsome. Look at those muscles. Are you two men lonely?"

The Hun soldiers initially pointed their swords at them, but seeing they were simply ladies of pleasure looking for company, they put their swords at their side. Surely, Shan Yu would understand if they took a few minutes off. As soon as Ling and Chien Po knew they had their targets, they slit their throats and hid their bodies in a closed off room nearby.

The army continued on their way. Three more soldiers were standing outside a set of large, ornate doors. After exchanging a glance, they repeated the scenario. It took a little longer for these Hun soldiers to let their guard down, but with a lot of giggling, flirting and talking about their handsomeness and muscular bodies, they met the same fate.

Now for the emperor.

Giggling like concubines would not win over Shan Yu. He would know immediately that his guards are dead or injured and fight like mad. The soldiers-turned-concubines walked up a long staircase that led to another set of heavy, ornate doors. They all looked at each other and nodded. In order for this to work, they would have to move quickly. Shang pointed at Chien Po and whispered "emperor". At the rest, "surround", then counted on his fingers 1, 2, 3.

They burst into the balcony room. Shan Yu had the emperor by the railing with his jagged sword to his neck.

Using the element of surprise, Shang kicked it out of his hand and Ling threw it over the railing. Chien Po grabbed the emperor and ran outside to where palace guards stood, unaware Hun assassins had entered the palace.

Shan Yu attempted to throw a punch, but Shang blocked it and delivered a swift kick to the gut. Ling delivered a kick to the ribs.

It was ten against one, but the one was no ordinary human. He stood 6 foot 8 inches, with very broad shoulders and muscular arms as wide as tree trunks.

Yao delivered a kick to the groin, and Shang ran his sword in between Shan Yu's upper ribs into his chest. Ling ran his sword into his back and another soldier hit him in the head with the side of his sword.

The menacing giant finally fell. Shang ran his sword into his chest once more.

"That's for my father."

Then he cut off his head.

"And that's for the Imperial Army."

The remaining Huns were dead. Their leader beheaded. The emperor safe.

It took all 10 of them to lift the deceased enemy and carry him out of the palace.

After showing the emperor, they threw the body into a ditch. It would be burned later.

"I'll get Mulan. The rest of you retrieve the bodies of the other Huns and bring them out."

The Hun war was now over. Shang remembered what he had promised himself on the mountain only a couple days before. That if they both survived the war, he would make his feelings toward Mulan known to her.


	4. Chapter 4

As Shang walked back to the dress shop, he went over in his mind what he wanted to say.

He knew Mulan was angry that he wouldn't allow her to join the mission to rescue the emperor. Hopefully, she wouldn't stay angry long. The mountain doctor had told him that strenuous movement would further damage the already torn muscles .

The doctor had also explained the long term effects of her injury to Shang, but not to Mulan. The first time he had stitched her up, she had been mostly unconscious. The second time, she was shaken from being discovered and almost being raped.

If the torn muscles didn't heal properly, childbearing would be difficult and he also suspected the tip of the sword had sliced her womb. Laboring could cause the muscles to tear again and the associated blood loss could kill her. There was a chance she may never be able to even conceive a child. Her womb could also rupture during labor no matter how well the rest of her injury had healed.

He had asked Shang if she was betrothed to anyone, since it was necessary for her to heal completely, for a couple years, before she should even attempt to have children. He had answered the doctor's question with a no, but did tell him he was sweet on her and may tell her so if they both survived the war.

"If you truly care about her, you'll wait the full two years. She has to take it easy right now. As her commanding officer, I expect you'll enforce that."

"Yes, sir."

At the dress shop, he found her still stewing but willing to listen to him. As they rode to the palace, he relayed to her what the doctor had told him about her injury.

"I failed miserably at the Matchmaker's so I don't think anyone will have me. Then I joined the army the next day. I doubt I need to worry about not being able to have a baby."

Shang looked at her, suddenly tongue-tied. She looked up from Kahn and said "What?"

He finally found his voice. "Well, I'm glad to know I don't have any competition, then."

Now it was Mulan's turn to be tongue-tied.

"I think I'm falling in love with you, Mulan."

"What?"

"I'm falling in love with you."

"I think I'm falling in love with you, too."

"After everything happened on the mountain, I realized it that same night when I was worried you might not make it. I promised myself that if we both survived this war, that I would tell you how I felt. The war is over now. Shan Yu and all the Huns are dead. So I told you."

"I think I fell in love with you the first or second day of training. Definitely by the third. I love you, too, Shang."

"We'll have to wait to get married. You shouldn't become with child for a couple years, according to the mountain doctor. The tip of Shan Yu's sword hit your womb. You might never have a child, or if you do, everything could rupture and you could die."

Mulan stared quietly at him. Why would he still choose to marry her when she may not be able to give him a son? Or when she may die in childbirth?

Seeing her silence and serious face, Shang answered her thoughts.

"I want to marry you because I love you. If we never have any children, that's something I can live with. What I want is to spend every day with you for the rest of our lives."

"The first morning, the doctor said no strenuous activity or sparring for six moons. I'll lose my skills."

"I'll help you get 'em back", said Shang, taking her hand.

That night, there was a large city-wide celebration. Because it wasn't common knowledge that there was a female in the army, Mulan became Ping for one more night.

After the celebration, a messenger summoned Shang to the emperor's council room. He tried not to let his nervousness show, as he knew this was about Chi Fu.

"Now, Captain, I would like you to explain what happened to my royal advisor. He is nowhere to be seen."

Shang took a deep breath. He knew this would happen. It crossed his mind to stick with his original story, the one he told the men. That after the Huns had started firing arrows at them, Chi Fu had ran away, with no sign of him since. But something in the emperor's expression made him think he would not be court-martialed for taking the advisor's life.

He told the emperor the truth. How Mulan had triggered the avalanche with their last cannon, with Shan Yu just mere feet from her and buried most of the Huns. How she was deeply slashed by Shan Yu's sword, but still saved Shang's life when the avalanche started to pull him under. How the doctor told him and Chi Fu of her gender and how Chi Fu had nearly raped her in front of everyone, after telling the rest of the army to have their way with her. How he would always be proud of his men for not doing so and backing away from her. How, when Chi Fu had thrown her onto her back and started to undo his robe, he had ran Mulan's sword through his chest.

The emperor was quiet for several minutes. "Captain, you did the right thing. A true military leader fights, not only against the enemy, but for his soldiers."

"Yes, sir."

"You are aware of the penalty for a woman joining the army, are you not?"

"Yes, sir. I had just grabbed her sword to carry it out when Chi Fu grabbed her by the arm and threw her at my men and told them to rape her. But, I don't think I could have killed her. Sir, she is my bravest soldier. She didn't even think twice about running up closer to where the Huns were charging us and firing the cannon at the mountain."

"Are you in love with her?" The emperor looked at him curiously.

"Yes, sir, I am. And she is in love with me. But, because of her injury, childbearing will be difficult until and unless she heals. The mountain doctor said if the torn muscles don't heal properly, they could rupture during childbirth and cause her to bleed to death. The sword hit her womb and she may never fully recover from that. She needs to wait two years before having any children. So we cannot marry yet."

"And because you love her, you'll wait."

"Yes, I will."

The next two years passed quickly. Mulan remained at her family home. After 12 moons, 6 longer than the mountain doctor had specified, they began working on rebuilding Mulan's fighting skills. Twice, she bested Shang.

After the two years was up, they were married and Mulan became pregnant a couple months later. But it was hard for both of them to be excited, knowing Mulan may not survive the delivery.

They decided to make the most of every day they did have, spending every waking minute together when Shang wasn't attending to his military duties.

They lived at Mulan's parents' home, because Shang had no other surviving family since his father's death. The emotional support of close family was something they desperately needed. Every day, Mulan made sure to tell her family and Shang how much she loved them.

Six weeks too soon, Mulan's water broke. The moment they'd been dreading was here. Every hour that passed brought more anxiety, as both her and Shang clung to each other and hoped the old injury wouldn't break open. Mulan could have only hours left to live.

The contractions seemed to last forever. Finally, the midwife told her she could start pushing. After a few pushes, Mulan began having severe pain on her left side. It kept getting worse. Immediately, the midwife told her to stop.

Suddenly, Mulan began bleeding and then losing consciousness. Shang held onto her hands, begging her not to leave him. The baby was already in Mulan's birth canal, so the midwife grabbed the baby out with both hands. Thankfully, the baby was pink and alive and cried loudly.

After cutting the cord, she wrapped up the baby girl and handed her to Shang. Next, she began massaging Mulan's abdomen. Fa Li, who had been silently watching until now, rushed to where her daughter lay dying.

Together, they made a concoction of herbs, and sat her up. Tipping her head down to protect her airway, they poured it down her throat. Then repeated it twice more. After the third time, the bleeding slowed. They continued massaging her belly while Shang held the newborn, with tears streaming down his cheeks. While the baby cried for her mother, he begged Mulan not to die.

The bleeding finally stopped and the placenta delivered, but Mulan was still unconscious and white as a ghost. Shang, the midwife and Fa Li stayed by her side. The baby was held to her chest whenever she needed to feed. Every few hours, another herbal brew was poured down her throat. Three days of this passed. But they all refused to give up.

Once, the midwife had left the room very briefly to give Fa Zhou and Grandma Fa an update. It didn't look good. The baby was fine, but Mulan had not regained consciousness yet. Fa Zhou had already been in the temple most of that time, praying, so that's where he remained.

Four days passed. Then nearly five, with Mulan still critical. Shang, the midwife and Fa Li kept vigil by her side, giving her herbal brews and holding the baby to her chest.

Shang begged the ancestors to take him instead. As he was holding their daughter close to his chest and weeping, he heard a faint "Shang..."

He turned around to see her eyes open, and passed the baby over to Fa Li.

"Shang..."

"It's ok, Mulan. You're gonna be ok."

"Why am I so weak? Is the baby ok?"

She was too weak to hold her, but Shang held the infant up to her so she could see their daughter was ok.

"You started bleeding and then you lost consciousness. You were out for almost 5 days. We thought we were losing you."

"Was it because of that battle wound?"

"Yes, the midwife thinks so."

"But I, I mean we, did everything we were supposed to. This wasn't supposed to happen." She started to cry.

"Shhh... You must stay calm and rested.

That sword had torn into your womb. The mountain doctor had said there was a chance this could happen with childbirth, no matter what we did right. Waiting to have a child like we did just lessened the risk of it."

It took days, but Mulan finally pinked up and regained her strength and was able to start caring for herself and their daughter. This was to be their only child, for neither of them was willing to risk her life again to expand the family.

Mulan and Shang still cherished every day they had together. Every day, Mulan told all her family she loved them. She was thankful for each day she got to watch her daughter grow, and thankful for each day she got to spend surrounded by those she loves most.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I decided to continue this story after several months of it being dormant. Thanks for the reviews, GLB, Meel Jacques, doremishine itsuko, Guest, Star Traveler, The Cat Charmer, 1bluesapphire, Maleficent-darkgoodwitch2416 and Clueless Angel. This is a pretty short chapter. Pf75**

Mulan and Shang named their daughter Ling. The baby slept in a cradle next to their bed, so that Mulan could reach her easily at night for feedings.

Mulan was gradually able to increase her activity, but for weeks she tired very easily. Six weeks after Ling was born, she walked out to the stone bench with Shang for the first time. The warm sun felt wonderful on her skin, and the Mudan tree was in full bloom. She leaned against Shang as she closed her eyes, breathing in the fresh air and listening to birds chirping.

When it was time to go back in for supper, Mulan found she was too weak to stand. Fa Li had come outside with them and she took baby Ling so Shang could carry Mulan back in.

She was very grateful for her family's help, especially after Shang had to go to Wu Zhong to train new recruits. He would be gone for 6 months, and Ling was 4 months old when he left.

He wrote frequently to Mulan and she wrote back, updating him on Ling's growth. When she was 7 months old, Mulan drew a picture of her sitting up and sent it with her letter. Shang tacked it to the tent fabric above his cot with pine sap.

On the way home from Wu Zhong, Shang encountered a family being attacked by bandits. He was able to fight and kill all three, but not before both parents had been murdered.

Inside the family's carriage, two tiny girls clung to each other crying and a baby boy screamed. He didn't look much more than a couple months old. The girls were twins who looked about three years old.

Shang tried to ask them where they were from, but they just continued to cry. Luckily, he was only six hours from home. He hooked his horse up to the carriage next to the family's two horses and took the three newly orphaned children home with him.

He didn't have to wonder if Mulan and her parents and grandma would mind. He knew they would welcome the orphans with open arms.

On the way, he stopped at a village and got food for the girls, but was unable to provide anything for the baby. Mulan was still breastfeeding Ling, so she would be able to feed him. His sisters tried to comfort him, but he cried all the way home.

It was late at night when Shang arrived home with the three children.

The sound of a small baby crying as Shang carried him into the house with his sisters next to him, got the attention of everyone in the house right away. They all jumped into action to care for the three children.

Fa Li and Grandma Fa saw to it that the two older girls had a warm place to sleep while Mulan fed the baby. Shang laid blankets in an emptied dresser drawer for him to sleep in and tended all the horses while Fa Zhou built the fire up.

After the girls had fallen asleep clinging to each other and the baby boy laid down with a full tummy, the adults talked about what to do.

There was no way to know what village they were from, unless the three year old girls were able to give them some clues. It was decided the three tiny orphans would stay with them until they were able to locate where extended family might be living.

The next morning, the two little girls started to talk a little bit. Their names were Liu and Mei, and the boy's name was Kang. They talked about living near mountains, but other than that didn't give any clues as to where their village was.

Liu and Mei both cried a lot, particularly at night when nightmares of their parents' death would jolt them from sleep. They slept by Fa Li and Fa Zhou, since Ling and Kang both slept by Shang and Mulan. Fa Li and Grandma Fa took turns getting up with them and comforting them at night.

Kang seemed to settle in, and Mulan kept busy breastfeeding both him and Ling. Her body started increasing her milk supply immediately in response to the increased demand.

When Kang would cry, Ling would often run up to Mulan or Shang saying "Baby cry! Baby cry!". She loved to watch Kang sleep, and loved following Mei and Liu around.

They allowed the girls to just call them Mulan and Shang, not insisting on being called Mama and Baba. Not while the memories of their actual parents were so fresh in their minds.

For the time being at least, their little family had doubled in size. Her and Shang may not have been able to have more children of their own, but for now they had four children to care for. They were parents to three year old Mei and Liu, one year old Ling and four month old Kang.


	6. Chapter 6

**I know this chapter is short and was a long time coming. I've been battling a bad case of writer's block.**

The three children slowly settled into life at the Fa home.

Mei and Liu loved it when Fa Li told them stories about Mulan when she was a child.

.

.

.

When Mulan was four, she realized that her parents couldn't climb the trees as high as she could. It became her way to get out of chores, bedtime and even meal time, especially food preparation which Mulan hated to do.

What she hadn't bargained on was her grandma being able to climb trees after her. After Mulan had spent most of a day high up in a tree when she was supposed to cleaning the barn and helping with the rice harvest, it happened.

Grandma Fa had watched Fa Li and Fa Zhou yell up to Mulan several times to come down. Her granddaughter had merely laughed and made no move to do as she was told. She started scaling the tree, and soon was eye to eye with the defiant child.

"Didn't think your old granny could climb up here, did you? I suggest you get down now and do what you're told, before I whip you right out of this tree." Mulan quickly scrambled down the tree to comply.

Liu was contented to sit on the bench and talk to her grandparents, but Mei never liked to sit still very long. She loved climbing trees or climbing on top of the barn or the estate wall. The adults learned to look up high whenever they needed to find her. Her antics resembled those of Mulan in younger days.

.

.

.

Mulan and Shang had been relying on her cycle to avoid having another baby, since Ling had been born. They both knew it wasn't foolproof.

Six months after the three children had joined their family, they had a rare afternoon alone while Kang and Ling napped and the older two girls went into the village with Fa Li and Grandma Fa. Seizing the opportunity for uninterrupted intimacy, they didn't stop to consider that Mulan was very fertile at this point in her cycle.

It was a few weeks before Mulan missed her monthly bleeding. It was with a panic that she relayed the dreadful news to Shang and her family. She nearly died after her first delivery. All four adults worried she would not survive a second one.

Every day that brought Mulan closer to her due date dawned with more anxiety. Although the children didn't know what was wrong, they could sense the stress in the adults.


	7. Chapter 7

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed and reviewed this story. Thanks for the reviews ElsaAnnaSnowQueen, Zyenna, Gabriel Palpatine, Sapphire Mae 13, Annitsu, GLB, Meel Jacques, doremishine itsuko, StarTraveler, The CatCharmer, 1bluesapphire, Maleficent-darkgoodwitch2416, CluelessAngel.**

The stress in the Fa home was palpable, from the youngest member to the oldest.

Mei began spending more time on the barn roof. Liu spent hours with the horses. Kang was fussy, and fought with Ling over toys, food and everything else around them.

Grandma Fa and Fa Li spent much time in the temple praying. Fa Zhou sat for hours on the stone bench every day and joined the others in the temple as well.

Mulan and Shang target practiced to relieve stress. They also meditated, and began to teach the children how to, as well.

Mulan would close her eyes, and focus on her breathing, and picture cherry blossoms in her mind. She learned to be calmed by the sight of the beautiful flowers. Even the baby's kicking and moving would settle down.

It was a chilly, rainy day when Mulan went into labor again. Just as before, Fa Zhou retreated to the temple. Grandma Fa and Fa Li took care of the children. Shang stayed with Mulan, who was attended to by two midwives. The senior midwife was training an apprentice. Husbands were not traditionally allowed in the room during a delivery, but because Mulan might not survive the delivery he was allowed to stay.

The labor seemed to drag on, with Mulan's contractions coming through the night into the next day. Finally, she felt the urge to push. Cautiously, she let her body lead as she pushed with each pain.

Just like before, she felt severe pain followed by copious bleeding. Knowing she would fall unconscious soon, Mulan gave one final, powerful push, and their baby boy was delivered.

He was pink, and screaming his lungs out. He was given the name Li Chen. The midwives cut the cord and quickly cleaned and wrapped him up, and handed him to his father.

Mulan was falling unconscious. As the midwives messaged her belly, Shang quickly ran out of the bedroom to update the rest of the family. Then he returned to Mulan's side, unaware that Mei had ran off.

The midwives had delivered her placenta by the time he returned. But, the bleeding continued.

One midwife prepared herbal brews while the other massaged Mulan's abdomen. Then they sat her up and poured it down her throat. But unlike her first delivery, her bleeding didn't slow.

Fa Li finally noticed Mei was missing, and went outside to look for her. She found her standing on the edge of the barn roof, despite the rain and coming darkness.

"Mei, come down. Now!"

"No, I won't."

"You come down this instant."

"No, _Nainai,_ I won't. I'm going to jump off the roof so Mama doesn't die. The gods can have me instead."

"No, child, you can't do that. The gods want you to live."

"Then why do they want Mama to die?"

"I don't know, Mei, I don't know. But, jumping off the roof won't help your mama."

"I already lost one mama, I don't want to lose another one."

Mei sat down on the edge of the roof and sobbed. As Fa Li held her arms out, she climbed down, and was carried inside. Fa Li was thankful she had come outside before her granddaughter could jump off the roof.

The news from the midwives was grim. The bleeding continued, and Mulan's pulse was weak and slow. Time was running out.

Fa Zhou and Grandma Fa came in, and said goodbye, then each child gave their unconscious mother a kiss. Shang laid down next to his beloved wife and wrapped his arms around her.

After Grandma Fa left the bedroom, she walked straight to the temple. Kneeling down, she prayed to the ancestors.

"Ancestors, my life has been long and good. Please let me take Mulan's place. Please take me instead."

All was silent, and a gentle breeze blew through the temple. Grandma Fa stood up and went back to the house. She quietly kissed everyone goodnight and laid down. She right away fell into a deep sleep and her heart stopped.

Just at that moment, Mulan's bleeding stopped, and her breathing, which had been shallow, returned to normal. Shang, noticing the change in her breathing, called the midwives in. Everyone had left the grieving husband alone with his dying wife.

After quickly verifying that the bleeding had stopped, Fa Li and Fa Zhou were told of the possible improvement in Mulan's condition.

Her cheeks began to pink up, and her eyes opened. Shang leaned over and kissed her.

Fa Li went to Grandma Fa's room to wake her up and tell her of Mulan's improvement. But the woman didn't respond. A touch of her face revealed cool skin. Her features, normally laughing or smiling, were still.

"Zhou…"

Fa Zhou entered his mother's room, and saw right away that she was gone.

He looked at his wife, and both knew she had convinced the ancestors to take her and spare Mulan.

It was with heavy hearts that they returned to Mulan's side. She was sitting up now, feeding her newborn son. After they shared their news, her tears fell on his blanket. Shang put an arm around her.

The children were sleeping, but Liu woke up and stumbled out of her bed. Upon seeing Mulan sitting up, she ran to her side.

"Mama!"

Shang pulled her up on his lap and she gazed at her tiny brother. Soon after, Mei came in, and joined her sister on Shang's lap.

The adults looked at each other, and a silent agreement was made to wait until morning to tell the children of Grandma Fa's death.

The midwives left after a few more hours, after being absolutely sure Mulan was stable. By then, the girls were back in bed. Fa Zhou and Fa Li had laid down for a brief rest. Mulan slept with Chen in a cradle next to her.

Only Shang was awake. He walked to the temple.

"Thank you, Grandma Fa. Thank you for letting me have more years with my wife." Then he went back and laid down next to Mulan.

The sun rose too soon for the exhausted members of the Fa home. Kang and Ling met their tiny brother, and learned that their mother was still very much alive. Then Fa Li told all four children that Grandma Fa had died during the night. Understandably, they were all distraught.

The family buried her outside near the temple. They were all grieving, but they were also thankful Mulan was alive.

Their family had grown over the last fifteen months. After Ling's birth, no one had guessed that in just fifteen months, four more children would join their family. Mei and Liu were 4.5 years old, Ling was 2, and Kang was 19 months, and now they also had Chen.

There wasn't a day that went by that Grandma Fa wasn't missed. The family knew she was still there, watching over them, and always would be.

 _Nainai-_ Grandmother

 **Thanks again to everyone who's read, reviewed, favorited and followed this story. Your support means the world. I'm stuck on which way to go at the moment, so feedback and reviews and ideas would be awesome.**

 **I just created a community called Tough Topics, for fics about topics like rape, suicide, alcoholism, etc.** **community/Tough-topics/123784/**


	8. Chapter 8

**I apologize for the 7 month delay in updating this story. Writer's block has hit me rather fiercely, especially with this story. I almost ended it, but then got some inspiration just within the last month. I would love any ideas or prompts anyone has, especially ideas about the antics of Shang and Mulan's 5 children. I love all the reviews, and give many thanks to everyone who has favorited or followed or reviewed this. I love reviews more than Chien Po loves food!**

 **If any of you are following The Road To Qui Gong, I am considering quitting that story, since I have zero inspiration left for it. I'd leave it up, but just would leave it as is.**

 **If any of you are following Straight To The Train, I do intend to finish that one. I'm a little stuck at the moment as how to get from where it's at now to the point where Coin and Snow are dealt with. It's like I have the destinations all laid out, but need to build the train tracks to get there.**

 **Anyway... on to the story.**

Mei and Liu helped out with Chen whenever they could. When he cried, one or the other would bring him to Mulan, Shang or Fa Li.

Kang seemed curious about the baby, but maybe also a little jealous. When one of the adults was holding Chen, he would try to climb up into their lap, too.

The five children kept the adults busy, particularly Mulan and Fa Li. Shang began teaching Mei and Liu how to shoot an arrow and ride a horse. He also started teaching them basic martial arts. These were unconventional lessons for Chinese girls, but the family had long ago left tradition behind.

When the twins were turning five, they decided they wanted to pick cherries for their birthday dinner, which was the next day. Most of the fruit was up out of their reach. If there was anything they had learned from Mulan and her mother and grandmother, it was to never give up. There had to be a way to get the cherries themselves, without asking the busy adults for help.

They sat at the base of the tree and devised a plan. They'd get up earlier than everyone else, even before Baba and Zufu (grandfather) who rose at the crack of dawn. The cherry tree was at the back of the Fa estate. They'd lead Khan out of his stall and tie him to the cherry tree and climb on him to get to the cherries.

That night, they could hardly sleep in anticipation of their plan. Late into the night, Mulan heard them giggling and started handing out extra chores for them to do the next day. It started with helping to wash the horses and eventually included shoveling horse poop out of the stalls and washing Little Brother. The twins were undeterred. Mulan even gave them her most hated chore of all time: cleaning out the chicken's coop. She felt a twinge of guilt that the girls would be spending their entire birthday doing chores, but only a twinge.

Long after it got dark, the girls took turns looking out the window. When they heard the very first chirps from the birds greeting the dawn, they quietly crept out of bed and pulled dresses on. Then they led Khan out of his stall and took him to the cherry tree. After tying him to the branches hanging lowest, both climbed onto his back. They'd forgotten sacks to put the cherries into, but used their sashes and Khan's saddlebag.

It was all going beautifully until a loud crack of thunder sounded and startled Khan. He took off running, breaking the branches he'd been tied to and throwing the girls off of his back. Mei was thrown against the trunk of the tree and then landed on the ground face down. Liu landed on her back in a thorny bush. The cherries they'd worked so hard to pick flew everywhere.

Shang had just been getting out of bed when he heard screams and saw Khan run by the window, dragging tree branches. Despite the sudden pouring rain, he shook Mulan awake and bolted outside towards the sound of the screams in just his training clothes.

Mei was still face down on the wet ground, and he gently turned her over. She was unconscious, with a cut on the back of her head and her arm was bent in an unnatural way, obviously broken. His training in the army kicked in and he quickly looked around for a way to splint her arm. After setting it and immobilizing the bones in place with bamboo sticks and fabric straps from his tunic, he carried her out of the rain, thankful she had still been unconscious while he'd set her arm.

Mulan immediately tended to Liu, who was awake but covered with thorns and crying loudly. She gently lifted her out of the bush and carried her in the house where she could ease her dress off and start removing the thorns.

Fa Li took over with Mei so Shang could tend to Khan. He found the horse just outside his stall, unable to go in because of the broken branches. He unfastened them and tended to the horse, mystified as to what his daughters had been up to.

Mei was awake when he returned, but was disoriented and crying in pain. Now wasn't the time for scolding. Fa Li had laid a cool cloth on her forehead and given her herbs for the inflammation and pain. Only once before, at Wu Zhong during hand-to-hand combat training, had he seen a bone broken as badly as her arm was. Her fingers were pink and warm, so he knew circulation was ok.

It took Mulan three hours to pull the thorns out of Liu's back and clean the wounds. During that time, the story spilled out. The girls had really wanted to pick cherries for their birthday, but couldn't reach most of the fruit. They'd gotten up early and tied Khan to the branches to stand on his back and pick them, but a loud thunderclap startled him. That's when he bolted, sending both girls flying.

In spite of herself, Mulan smiled. The twins may not have been her flesh and blood, but she saw herself in their antics. She had always been stubborn and determined to achieve the seemingly impossible, especially at Wu Zhong. Asking for help was also not something she did easily.

Despite their injuries, the girls had a good birthday. However, there was no cherries with supper, but Mulan and Fa Li fixed their favorites. A little while after they ate, Shang went outside and came back with a sack of cherries for everyone to eat. He'd gathered up the cherries they'd dropped and picked the ones they hadn't gotten to yet.

Later, laying in bed that night, Shang and Mulan reflected on the day. Both had done similar antics as young children, and laughed that their adopted children had so many personality similarities to both of them.

One week later, Shang was called to duty. The Huns had once again crossed the northern border. He carried out delivery of conscription notices in his village and several neighboring ones.

One of the villages he had to visit was in the mountains, near where he had found the three children and their murdered parents. When he read off the name on a particular scroll, the Su family, only an elderly man stepped forward to enlist. He bravely saluted and accepted the assignment with honor and dignity, much how Shang imagined Fa Zhou must have done the same years before.

On the way to Wu Zhong, Su Kang rode with Shang. The general took the opportunity to ask how he came to be the only living male in his family. The elder told him how his only son and daughter in law had traveled with their three children to the Imperial City, only to never return. The bodies of the parents had been found, but never the children. He shared how he had petitioned the ancestors daily for the wellbeing of the three children and that he hoped they were living a good life somewhere. His wife had died a year prior and he had no other living relatives now.

Shang marveled at the twist of fate that he was traveling with the grandfather of his three adopted children.

"What if I told you your grandchildren are alive and safe and living with me since the day their family was attacked?"

The elderly man stared at him in stunned silence, so Shang continued.

"Years ago, I was on my way home from Wu Zhong and came upon a family being attacked by bandits. The parents were both dead, but I managed to kill the bandits and save the children. It was two twin girls and an infant boy. I didn't know where they were from because the girls couldn't tell me, so I brought them to my own home. We took them in as our own and they have thrived and grown."

Tears ran down Su Kang's cheeks. "Thank you." He saluted the general. "Thank you for caring for my grandchildren. If I survive this war, may I see them?"

"Yes, you must see your only surviving family. You are alone in your estate and should come live with us. Then you can live out the rest of your days with them."

"Thank you. I will do that."

They rode the rest of the way in silence. Su Kang was grieving his lost son and daughter in law and simultaneously rejoicing that their children had been cared for all these years.

Shang was quietly formulating a plan to excuse the grandfather from his conscription notice so that he may go right to his new home. After their arrival, he consulted with the other general, who agreed to allow Su Kang to be excused from the draft. He knew that with the man's advanced age, the likelihood of him surviving battle was little to none. Shang wondered if his father would have excused Fa Zhou in a similar manner, had Mulan not taken his place. Given his father in law's severe injuries and prior years of service, he was sure the late general would have done so, but then he would never have met Mulan.

Shang delivered the news, and the man left promptly. He planned to return to his own estate to retrieve personal belongings and family heirlooms and then go to the Fa estate. Shang penned a letter to Mulan, Fa Li and Fa Zhou explaining who their visitor was and sent it with him.

Su Kang arrived the following day. He was accepted with open arms by Fa Li, Fa Zhou and Mulan. He was able to hold his grandchildren close again, and was pleasantly surprised that the girls remembered him.

He was given Grandma Fa's rooms and quickly acclimated to life at the Fa estate. His grandchildren called him Grandpa Su and soon the other two children did as well.

Meanwhile, Shang met back up with Yao, Ling and Chien Po and told them about his life with Mulan and their five children. All three had married since the previous Hun invasion and had children of their own. Shang smiled as he remembered their marching song, A Girl Worth Fighting For, and realized that all four of them had just that.

The three were sad that Mulan wasn't joining them for this battle, but understood that as a mother of five now, she couldn't just leave home again to join the army. Even so, they reminisced about her ability to strategize and her tenacity in the face of certain defeat. If it hadn't been for her, China would have fallen to the Huns.


End file.
